UNCW employees get a surprise to take to the bank

There's nothing like getting money back that belongs to you, especially if you never knew it existed.

Tuesday, a few unsuspecting UNC-Wilmington employees got just that.

He rolledup in a golf cart with cash to dole out. Not Ed McMahon of Publisher's Clearinghouse fame, but Richard Moore "cleaning house" at the state's unclaimed property office.

He's here to hand over a $5500 surprise. Unsuspecting Dr. Lee Jackson gets the knock at the door.

"I never got money like this," Dr. Jackson said.

Four UNCW employees receive more than $6800, checks ranging from $60 to $5500. It's their money, they just didn't know where it was.

Now Moore is off to see Edwina Johnson.

"What a nice surprise, my goodness," Johnson said.

Moore wants people to know there might be an account with your name on it, just waiting to be claimed.

"It's mostly peple who say 'oh no, no, I know where all my money is ... It can't be any of my money," Moore said. "It could be a deposit that they left for phone service or power, maybe when they were in college. It can be a stock dividend or a bond payment."

So, what will they do with the money?

"There's always bills that to pay," Jackson said.

"Christmas of course!" Johnson said.

There's more than $600 million dollars just waiting to be claimed. It's easy to find out if you are one of them.

Just go to www.nccash.com and plug in your name. Within seconds you can find out if you have unclaimed money. If you find your name listed, just fill out the claim report and send it in.

Of course, there's no guarantee you'll wind up with five grand in your pocket. But it's worth a quick look for a little extra green.